Many previous electronic games have generally required the user(s) or player(s) to respond by manipulating one or more switch handles or buttons. In the now-familiar electronic football or baseball games, for example, the switches often control the apparent position, attitude, or simulated thrust of a moving spot or shape that represents the player. The spot may be an illuminated lamp or grouping of lamps or, in the slightly related field of video-computer games, the spot may be an elaborately shaped figure formed by the video screen technology. Another remote relative is the programmed learning device or question-and-answer game in which the student or player manipulates levers, buttons, or a keyboard to answer questions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,482, an electronic game is described for playing a certain traditional parlor game which turn saying one number in the normal numerical sequence (i.e., "one, two, three, . . . ")--but with certain numbers replaced by a distinctive word or other prearranged sound. For example, such a word or sound replaces all numbers that either (1) have a certain numeral as one digit or (2) are multiples of that numeral. The numeral chosen for use in the game may be called the "base numeral." If the base numeral is nine, for instance, the distinctive word or sound replaces the numbers 9, 18, 19, 27, 29, 36, 39, and so on; if the prearranged word is "alligator" the correct sequence would include this segment " . . . sixteen, seventeen, alligator, alligator, twenty, twenty-one, . . . " A player errs when his turn arrives if he should say, for instance, "seventeen" but instead says "alligator"; or if he should say "alligator" but instead says "eighteen" or "nineteen"; or if he becomes confused and is unable to make any response in the rhythm of the counting. Depending on the form of the game, either (1) a player who errs in any of these three ways may be expelled from the game, so that the number of active players decreases until only a winner remains (or some arbitrary count is reached at which all remaining players are winners); or (2) the sequence is continued with all the players remaining active, any errors giving rise only to amusement.
The device consists of circuitry responsive to a microphone which generates a definite electrical signal when any adequately loud sound is received--always the same signal, regardless of the intelligence content of the sound. Thus the counting aloud serves only to inform the electronic unit that the count is advanced and the unit itself keeps track of what number each count should represent, without discriminating between the sounds.
The apparatus advantageously defines a plurality of players stations, each of which has an associated lamp or other visual device for indicating when the turn passes to that particular station--i.e. for prompting or interrogating the player at that station. The device may also emit a sound at the same time as it produces the visual interrogation signal.
However, the above described game is limited to only small variations in the manner of play. It would be desirable to have a simple electronic game that would aid in playing a parlor game that could be played in an endless number of variations, governed by the imagination of the players.